Pastry shipping container

ABSTRACT

A shipping container system for shipping pastries, especially adapted for shipping cupcakes, is provided. The system includes an outer box having a detachable outer lid, a receiving divider tray snugly insertable into the outer box and having therein an array of spaced-apart apertures into which pastries are placed for shipping, and a plurality of small posts, the number of which corresponds to the number of pastries, the proximal end of one of each post being inserted into each pastry in vertical orientation prior to shipping. An inner retaining lid encloses the pastries in the outer box, the inner lid being sized to seal the pastries within the outer box, the inner lid having integrally fabricated therein a plurality of outwardly oriented frustum-shaped protrusions, also corresponding in number to the number of pastries, with the protrusions being in concentric registry with the tray apertures on assembly of the system. The posts are each sized to extend, upon insertion of each into their respective pastries and after filling of and closure of the outer box, from the bottom of the box to the apex of its respective protrusion. Upon closure of the box, relative movement between the container and the pastries being shipped therein, both laterally and vertically, is prohibited.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to pastries, particularly cupcakes, and, more specifically, to a container for use in shipping such pastries intact, without concomitant crumbling, breaking, smearing of frosting, and other destructive events frequently encountered in shipping such goods using techniques known in the prior art. While the description of the invention herein will focus specifically on cupcakes, it will be understood that the underlying principles and techniques will be equally applicable, generally, to individual pastries of a wide variety of shapes and compositions.

A cupcake is, most simply, a small cake designed to serve one person. Cupcakes are usually made by pouring cake batter into small paper baking cups placed in a baking tin which holds a plurality of such baking cups, and baking. After baking, frosting, other typical cake decorations such as candy, sprinkles and the like may be, and usually are, added to render the cupcakes highly decorative, often in imaginative ways.

In recent years, the popularity of cupcakes as a confection for celebrating various events has grown, and worldwide sales of cupcakes generally have increased enormously. One need only look to the web site www.cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/ to appreciate the burgeoning nature of this specialized industry.

Traditional bakery products such as cakes, pies and cupcakes have heretofore been primarily limited to local markets, intended to be baked locally, packaged locally in boxes, and picked up locally by the customers/consumers who then physically carry them home for consumption. In the current expanding cupcake market, such traditional methods have limitations in that the often exotic decorations which appeal to the consumer, and which drives the market expansion, are incompatible with traditional packaging and, especially, are incompatible with conventional shipping methods for pastries.

The growing nationwide market for exotic, and sometimes delicate, cupcakes, and the known inadequacies of traditional shipping methods for such goods, has created an incentive to provide a stable, safe, national-in-scope technique for shipping cupcakes such that they arrive at their respective destinations without being mashed, mangled, smeared and otherwise broken or crumbled.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,303,115B1, a recently issued patent, discloses a cupcake carrier for organizing and protecting cupcakes during storage and shipping. A container is disclosed formed of a single sheet of planar material having flaps which are folded in assembly to form an upwardly opening cavity carrying an insert tray formed of a single sheet of planar material and having circular openings for lightly compressively holding the cupcakes in a grid array. The insert is sized smaller than the base of the container to provide slots about the periphery. The container includes a hinged lid having flaps that enter slots in the closed position to reinforce the outer walls and prevent inner movement of the flaps during transit and storage. The references cited in the '115 patent also provide an overview of the state of the art in this field, and are representative of such.

Other patents which disclose containers for cupcakes which tend to prevent their shifting on transport include U.S. Pat. No. 6,896,140B1 and 6,176,375B1.

In contrast to the known prior art, a shipping container system is provided herein for shipping a plurality of pastries, specifically cupcakes, which keep the pastries intact from their point of shipment to their intended destination.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A container system for shipping pastries, especially suited for shipping cupcakes is provided. The system includes an outer box having a bottom, one or more vertically oriented side walls, and a detachable outer lid. A pastry-receiving divider tray is snugly insertable into the outer box which, upon insertion, rests adjacent the bottom thereof, the tray having a predetermined plurality of spaced-apart apertures therein arranged in a grid-like array. Each aperture is sized so as to snugly receive one pastry inserted thereinto. The system includes a plurality of small posts, the number of small posts coinciding with the number of pastries to be contained, each of the posts being vertically insertable into one of the pastries, and each pastry having a single post inserted therein prior to shipping.

An inner retaining lid encloses the pastries, the inner lid being sized to extend over the pastries and around the top periphery of the side walls, sealingly and hermetically closing the periphery of the side walls thereat by a peripheral flange extending therearound. The inner lid has, integrally fabricated therein, a plurality of outwardly oriented frustum-shaped protrusions, the number of protrusions corresponding to the number of pastries, the protrusions being formed in an array which places each of the protrusions, upon insertion of the tray into the outer box and placement of the inner lid upon the side walls, in concentric registry with one of the apertures in the tray. The protrusions are all sized to receive, in their apexes, the distal end of the respective posts inserted therein. The length of each of the posts is sized to correspond to the distance from the bottom of the outer box to the apex of each of the frustum-shaped protrusions receiving each post inserted into each pastry upon closure of the box and inner lid.

Upon insertion of the divider tray into the outer box, placement of pastries into the divider tray, insertion of the posts into each of the pastries, one post into each pastry, closure of the inner lid enclosing the pastries in the box, and closure of the outer detachable lid thereover, the container system is formed.

The container system is especially suited to shipping cupcakes.

The outer box may be rectangular and have four side walls, or it may be circular-cylindrical and have one continuous side wall, or it may have an irregular shape or even a fanciful shape, such as heart-shaped. The box is preferably constructed of cardboard and may include at least one additional reinforcement band therearound.

The divider tray may have a dozen apertures therein, arranged in a regular, spaced-apart array. The posts may be wooden, plastic, or other suitable material. The inner lid is preferably plastic, most preferably a transparent plastic such as polyethylene or polyethyleneterephthalate. The frustum-shaped protrusions extending from the inner lid may be frusto-conical or frusto-pyramidal, and may be pleated along the length of their angled sides.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the pastry shipping container system of the invention in an assembled and closed configuration;

FIG. 2 depicts the shipping system of FIG. 1 with the outer reinforcing band removed and the outer lid of the system raised to display the pastries contained within its outer box;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a typical cupcake pastry prior to placing it into the shipping system of the invention, the pastry having inserted into it one of the position-stabilizing small posts which are a key component of the system;

FIG. 4 depicts an exploded, perspective view, partly broken away, of the container system of the invention showing the outer box, the receiving divider tray inserted into the box and having a dozen cupcakes held therein, each cupcake having a stabilizing vertical post inserted therein, and the inner, retaining lid as the system is configured just prior to its closure of the outer box over the cupcakes contained therein;

FIG. 5 shows a side elevation of an individual pastry/cupcake and stabilizing post just prior to insertion of the post into the pastry;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the receiving divider tray component of the system of the invention with a single cupcake inserted therein;

FIG. 7 shows, in perspective, an inner lid according to the invention suitable for enclosing the pastries, preferably being of a transparent plastic, and depicting the frustum-shaped protrusions extending outwardly therefrom, which protrusions receive the distal ends of the stabilizing posts inserted into the pastries being shipped; and

FIG. 8 depicts a cross-sectional view of the system of the invention, taken substantially along line 8-8 of FIG. 4, and showing, in cross-section, in the completely closed container system configuration, the outer box, the receiving divider tray, the inner lid, a stabilizing post inserted into a cupcake, and the outer lid, all interacting in cooperation to stabilize the cupcake shown during shipping and keep it from shifting in transit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGS

A shipping container system for shipping pastries, especially adapted for shipping cupcakes, is provided. The system includes an outer box having a detachable outer lid, a receiving divider tray snugly insertable into the outer box and having therein an array of spaced-apart apertures into which pastries are placed for shipping, and a plurality of small posts, the number of which corresponds to the number of pastries, the proximal end of one of each post being inserted into each pastry in vertical orientation prior to shipping. An inner retaining lid encloses the pastries in the outer box, the inner lid being sized to seal the pastries within the outer box, the inner lid having integrally fabricated therein a plurality of outwardly oriented frustum-shaped protrusions, also corresponding in number to the number of pastries, with the protrusions being in concentric registry with the tray apertures on assembly of the system. The posts are each sized to extend, upon insertion of each into their respective pastries and after filling of and closure of the outer box, from the bottom of the box to the apex of its respective protrusion. Upon closure of the box, relative movement between the container and the pastries being shipped therein, both laterally and vertically, is prohibited.

A detailed description of the invention and preferred embodiments is best provided with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 depicts an overall perspective view of a container system 10 of the invention including an outer box having a bottom (not seen), four sides 12 and an outer lid 14. A reinforcing band 16 may be added for strength, the band being removable by sliding in the direction of the arrow shown. Conventional materials may be employed for the box and lid, and cardboard, especially corrugated cardboard, may be used. The reinforcing band 16 may be of any suitable material such as paper, reinforced paper, plastic packaging tape, or similar material.

FIG. 2 shows the system 10 depicted in FIG. 1 after removal of the band 16 and raising of the lid 14, in the direction of the arrow shown, to expose the contents of the box 12. Therein is seen the contained cupcakes 36 set in the tray (not seen), all enclosed by inner transparent lid 24, as shown, which extends around the upper periphery of sidewalls 12 and hermetically seals the pastry contents therein. The frustum-shaped protrusions 30, described in detail below, each receive the distal end of an individual support post 34 therein, one each of these posts being inserted into a respective cupcake 36 immediately below the respective protrusions. Decorative materials such as candy, “jimmies” 42 and flags 40 are also shown, which are optional decorations for pastries 36.

FIG. 3 shows an individual cupcake 36 with decorative frosting thereon, added candies 42, contained within baking cup 38, and having inserted therein a stabilizing post 34, all as assembled prior to insertion into the divider tray 20, shown in more detail in FIG. 4.

FIG. 4, in the exploded perspective view shown, depicts a rectangular box embodiment of the invention having generally vertical walls 12, a bottom (not seen in the figure), and inner lid 24. In this embodiment, the pastry-receiving divider tray 20, which may be cardboard, has twelve apertures (described in FIG. 6) into which are placed twelve cupcakes 36, arranged in a rectangular grid pattern. Each cupcake 36 has inserted therein one of the stabilizing posts 34, as shown.

The box depicted in FIG. 4 is a rectangular box as shown, but this shape is not limiting. According to the basic principles of the invention, other shapes may be employed such as, for example, a circular cylindrical shape such as those in use as hat boxes. In that shape, wall 12 would be a single continuous wall, circular in cross-section. And irregular shapes, generally, may be employed without deviating from the principles of the invention. For example, a box which is heart-shaped may be employed in shipping pastries near the Valentine's Day holiday. The shape of the outer box is therefore not a limiting factor according to the invention.

FIG. 5 depicts the configuration of a single cupcake 36 contained in its baking tin paper cup 38 just prior to insertion of the stabilizing post 34 into the cupcake 36, this operation being indicated by the arrow as shown. Pastry decorations 42 are included for illustration and completeness.

FIG. 6 shows the pastry-receiving divider tray 20 wherein only a single cupcake 36 is inserted into one of the apertures 21. The apertures 21 are sized so as to snugly receive the cupcakes inserted therein. In the embodiment shown, apertures 21 are arranged in a regular rectangular array as shown to accommodate a dozen pastries, but it will be clear to one skilled in the art that the specific number and array of apertures 21 may vary and this is according to the specifications of the pastry vendor. The tray 20 may be of a suitable material such as cardboard or plastic, and is provided with flaps 22 which support the tray 20 on the floor of the outer box, the cupcakes 36 inserted therein in apertures 21 being prevented from shifting laterally after loading into the outer box as shown.

Another key component of the present invention is the inner lid 24 shown in FIG. 7. The lid 24 is preferably made of a transparent plastic such as polyethylene or polyethyleneterephthalate, which allows for visibility of the pastries therethrough and is inexpensive. This lid 24 is constructed with peripheral ridge/valley 26 molded therein and outer flange 28 extending around its periphery. When this inner lid 24 is placed over the pastries, as indicated in FIG. 4, the lid flange 28 seals the pastries completely around the top periphery of the side walls 12 of the outer box, helping to preserve freshness during shipping. Referring back to FIG. 7, a plurality of frustum-shaped protrusions 31 is shown extending outwardly from the box interior. These protrusions 31 may be molded into the lid 24 by known injection molding techniques. The number of protrusions employed will be identical to the number of pastries to be shipped, a dozen in the embodiment shown, but this number is not critical, although often preferred. According to the invention, inner lid 24 is constructed such that each outer protrusion 31 is positioned in concentric registry with one of the circular apertures 21 immediately below it upon assembly of the container system 10. It is noted that the protrusions may be frusto-conical as shown in FIG. 7, or frusto-pyramidal, and even having pleated sides, all as shown in FIG. 4.

On assembly of the components of the container system as described hereinabove, these components all cooperate and act to stabilize the cupcakes contained within and keep them from shifting and suffering aesthetic disfigurement during shipping, all as depicted in FIG. 8. Therein, the outer box, having bottom 18, side walls 12 and closed outer lid 14, all shown in cross-section, has cupcake 36 inserted into receiving divider tray 20, also shown in cross-section, the tray snugly fitting in the outer box and supported by flaps 22, with inner lid 24, depicted in cross-section as a plastic lid, covering the cupcake 36 and sealingly engaging the top edge of wall 12 with flange 28, which extends around the entire periphery of the walls 12. One frusto-conical protrusion 30 is seen positioned immediately above its respective cupcake and tray aperture and in concentric alignment therewith, the cupcake 36 having inserted therein and therethrough, the stabilizing post 34, the proximal end of which extends downwardly through the cupcake 36, the post being shown in phantom, and its distal end extending upwardly into the apex 32 of the conical protrusion 30, the apex contacting the inside surface of lid 14 thereat, post 34 having been sized so as to just extend from the bottom of cupcake tin paper container 38 upwardly into the apex 32 of the protrusion 30, all as shown in FIG. 8, thereby completing the shipping container system of the invention.

While the invention has been disclosed herein in connection with certain embodiments and detailed descriptions, it will be clear to one skilled in the art that modifications or variations of such details can be made without deviating from the gist of this invention, and such modifications or variations are considered to be within the scope of the claims hereinbelow. 

1. A container system for shipping pastries, especially suited for shipping cupcakes, comprising: an outer box, said box including a bottom, one or more vertically oriented side walls and a detachable outer lid, and including a pastry-receiving divider tray snugly insertable into said box which, upon insertion, rests adjacent the bottom thereof, said tray having a predetermined plurality of spaced-apart apertures therein arranged in grid-like array, each aperture sized so as to snugly receive one of said pastries inserted thereinto, and a plurality of posts, the number of posts coinciding with the number of pastries to be contained, each of said posts being vertically insertable into one of said pastries, and each pastry having a single post inserted therein prior to shipping, and including an inner retaining lid enclosing said pastries, said inner lid being sized to extend over said pastries and extend around the top periphery of said side walls, and sealingly and hermetically closing the periphery of said side walls thereat by a peripheral flange extending therearound, the inner lid having, integrally fabricated therein, a plurality of outwardly oriented frustum-shaped protrusions, the number of protrusions corresponding to the number of pastries, said protrusions being formed in an array which places each of said protrusions, upon insertion of said tray and placement of said inner lid upon said side walls, in concentric registry with a respective one of said apertures in said tray, each protrusion sized to receive the distal end of a respective one of said posts, wherein the length of each of said posts is sized to correspond to the distance from the bottom of said box to the apex of each said frustum-shaped protrusion receiving each post inserted into each pastry upon closure of said box and inner lid, whereby, upon insertion of said divider tray into said box, placement of said pastries into said divider tray, insertion of the proximal ends of said posts into said pastries, one post into each pastry, closure of said inner lid enclosing said pastries in said box, and closure of said outer detachable lid thereover, said container system is formed.
 2. The container system of claim 1 wherein said pastries are cupcakes.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein said box is rectangular and has four side walls.
 4. The system of claim 1 wherein said box is circular-cylindrical and has one continuous side wall.
 5. The system of claim 1 wherein said box is irregular in shape.
 6. The system of claim 5 wherein said box is heart-shaped.
 7. The system of claim 1 wherein said box is constructed of cardboard.
 8. The system of claim 1 wherein said box includes at least one additional reinforcement band therearound.
 9. The system of claim 1 wherein said divider tray has a dozen apertures therein, arranged in a regular, spaced-apart array.
 10. The system of claim 1 wherein said posts are wooden.
 11. The system of claim 1 wherein said posts are plastic.
 12. The system of claim 1 wherein said inner lid is plastic.
 13. The system of claim 1 wherein said inner lid is transparent plastic.
 14. The system of claim 1 wherein said inner lid is polyethylene.
 15. The system of claim 1 wherein said inner lid is polyethyleneterephthalate.
 16. The system of claim 1 wherein said frustum-shaped protrusions are frusto-conical.
 17. The system of claim 1 wherein said frustum-shaped protrusions are frusto-pyramidal.
 18. The system of claim 1 wherein said frustum-shaped protrusions are pleated along their angled sides.
 19. The system of claim 1 wherein said inner lid has a dozen protrusions therein, arranged in a regular, spaced-apart array. 